<p>One of my regrets is not buying a shoulder patch (the cost seemed out of my tight budget then)- "UW Tray Team, Ski Bascom Hill". Back then one of the lakeshore dorms snack shop job duties was collecting trays from the hills near it, in theory it was forbidden to remove them from the dining halls then; now I've seen a picture in the promo literature...</p>
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<blockquote> <p>But no one outside the deep south and So Cal goes around in t shirts in the winter.<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>Except the students at Dartmouth - they add flip-flops as well.</p>
<p>Lealdragon, my deep South daughter has adapted very well to the cold and snow = learned to ski and ice skate (which was harder for her than skiing). As someone said, it is a lot easier when you aren't out driving in the snow. Busses run regularly, she has had not trouble getting home, even after her 2 hour bus ride to Logan. Ice can be a problem, particularly in late Feb, March, and the March/April mud is rather depressing. I think it is all about attitude - if you really want to experience something new, you will probably enjoy it. Also, it is a great time to experiment, like much else about college life, you don't actually have to deal with a lot of the downsides of extreme weather - like shovelling those sidewalks or worrying about your boat or home getting washed away in the hurricane. It was expensive getting her outfitted last year - not only was she short on cold weather clothes, she had worn uniforms to school, so she was short on clothes, period.</p>
<p>A reminder that in northern areas with snow, the cities and towns are adept at immediate snow removal from public sidewalks and city streets. Campus walkways are kept clear and de-iced by the colleges as part of their normal operations. Classes continue to meet regardless of the weather. S spent 4 years at UMich and 3 at UWisc, and never once had a class cancelled for snow. D ice skates, plays broomball, and has added only a few things to her winter wardrobe to handle the MN winters. Since they both didn't/don't have cars at school, they never had to worry about digging out a car.</p>
<p>My kids wanted out of their comfort zone for their college experience, and that included a different climate from the temperate one in which they grew up. S nows ice skates, plays hockey and broomball, and has gone ice-fishing, none of which he would have experienced at home.</p>
<p>I think weather needs to be taken into consideration. If you love the cold weather and the activities it brings, then you probably won't be very happy at the University of Florida. On the other hand, the University of Montana, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc would probably suit you just fine. Same goes for where you choose to live and work. Just remember, if you think the weather sucks and you go around with SAD all the time, how much are you actually going to get from the experience except to remember how miserable you were?</p>
<p>Weather was never a factor for either child (both felt/feel that when making up the college list it is enough of a challenge just to get the academic/social mix right) , but we are from an area with a four season climate, so not a big adjustment wherever they would wind up.</p>
<p>Winter driving was a concern for me when we moved to the area we live in now, since many of the roads I use every day are hilly, and getting up my long, steep driveway in icy conditions used to be an adventure for me before I got the AWD vehicle I have now - the AWD is definitely a help in that situation. It's amazing how quickly we get plowed out though - it seems as though this is down to a science and much superior to what it used to be even twenty years ago or when I was a kid. Really icy conditions are rare though, and schools are generally cancelled or delayed when road conditions are that bad, so has not been an issue and as others say, would be even less so in a self contained college community. Once the roads have been plowed, it's usually a simple matter of giving a little extra space to the cars in front of you, and for stopping.</p>
<p>Back in college as well as in grad school, I remember hearing mean spirited complaining from some of the kids from the warmer areas of the country , which did get to be annoying to everyone around them after the hundredth rendition. If it was done in a light hearted sort of way, on the other hand, it became somewhat more of a running joke. I'm more sympathetic to what they were going through now, as it wasn't just a matter of the weather, but a full scale "cultural" adjustment as well, in many cases.</p>
<p>But it's also important to be realistic - there are some kids who will be miserable in these circumstances. If you know ahead of time that your child is not very adaptable to transitions, or has strong opinions like this from the get go, it may not do much good to feel that he or she "could" or "should" adapt, since this has the potential to become a self fulfilling prophecy.</p>
<p>P.S. Notice how when the talk turns to politics, others begin discussing the weather?! :)</p>
<p>Dallas can get very bad ice due to being on the edge of the freeze line. It starts with sleet, which overnight ices over, then melts a bit during the day, then freezes again overnight.</p>
<p>Our S went from northern California (where if you want snow you drive to it) to Boston, where he learned the motto "when the going gets tough, the tough go sledding".</p>
<p>Thanks, cangel and to all the others who have just made me realize that 'up north' isn't just solid snow for 6 months. What a revelation!</p>
<p>"
This is why I find southern attitudes to northern weather so curious. The south gets ice, lots of it in the winter. The north gets snow, sometimes. The south wears light jackets and gloves. The north wears heavier jackets and gloves AND a hat. (Minneapolis wears long underwear, a parka, insulated boots, thermal mittens and a face covering.... ) But no one outside the deep south and So Cal goes around in t shirts in the winter."</p>
<p>Yeah, ice is nasty. We get ice here and the whole city gets crippled. I had always assumed it was far worse up north, so thanks for enlightening me.</p>
<p>It was 90 today here in San Antonio. We have our A/C on until the 'cold front' hits tonight, in which case it may drop all the way down to the 50s!</p>
<p>We didn't used to run the A/C in Nov. When I was a kid, we'd have had a few cold fronts (that were actually cold) by now. I distinctly remember it being in the 20s or even the teens a few times every winter. I had to walk to school so I DO remember well.</p>
<p>Except for a few isolated cold fronts maybe once or twice a year, we've hardly had any winter at all the last 5 years or so. The weather is DEFINITELY changing. The effects of global warming are really obvious.</p>
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Then there's the rain factor. If the kid will be riding a bike to campus, or walking to classes on a huge spread out campus, the possibility of it being rainy a lot should be taken into consideration.
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<p>Fenders and rain gear. Cyclists in Washington only stop for snow (although last week's monsoons slowed people down, too).</p>
<p>I love visiting New England, but -- and you can trust me on this -- Massachusetts drivers are even worse than Madrid cabbies. I haven't ever driven in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, but I can't imagine it's worse than Boston.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>The south gets ice, lots of it in the winter. The north gets snow, sometimes.<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>We've gotten both ice and snow here in San Diego....about 12,000 years ago during the last ice age, but not so much since then.</p>
<p>As I was formulating my list, weather was definitely a factor. Everything north of Boston was ruled out because of a medical condition (SAD). My ideal location is the mid-Atlantic: shorter/milder winters than New England but still a four-season feel. And of course I'd be back at home for the hottest months. </p>
<p>I'm applying to a few Claremonts despite mild asthma (I figure if I get in, I'll visit and see if I can handle it). A neighbor warned me that the haze/smog would come as a major shock to a New Englander.</p>
<p>Oh, come on Rick! Some of us Mass. drivers are good! (Though I will avoid driving in Boston at all costs! LOL) The cabbies are the worst there!</p>
<p>You just can't be a timid driver and you'll do fine.</p>
<p>I remember I worked with a woman who came from the Mid-West and she had never encountered having to drive in a rotary (also called "roundabouts" in the more affluent towns) before coming to MA.</p>
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I'm applying to a few Claremonts despite mild asthma (I figure if I get in, I'll visit and see if I can handle it). A neighbor warned me that the haze/smog would come as a major shock to a New Englander.
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<p>etselec: probably not a great plan if you have asthma. The Claremonts sit at the base of the mountains and can be absolutely clear and beautiful for a day, a week, a month. It is not predictable. While you can predict the temperature is going to be between 68 and 85 most of the time, we can have 90+ weather in January with hazy, polluted skies or hot, dry conditions due to the Santa Ana's blowing (dessert winds that bring dry clean air and heat). When the marine layer occurs, the wind comes in off the ocean and air stacks up between the coast and mountains. If there is not breeze, the air is more stagnant and has more particulates. You also need to consider that we have brush and forrest fires north and east of the basin. These bring a lot of particulate into the air and create breathing problems for the young, old and asthmatic. Children in so cal have some of the highest incidences of asthma according to the school nurse data.</p>
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I'm applying to a few Claremonts despite mild asthma (I figure if I get in, I'll visit and see if I can handle it). A neighbor warned me that the haze/smog would come as a major shock to a New Englander.
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<p>The only trouble is that there isn't much smog in April.</p>
<p>etselec,
I agree with blucroo. That post is accurate.
D#1 took Claremonts off her list for that reason. It would have ensured a worsening of the condition. It would be one thing if there was limited exposure (such as mostly summer, when you could escape, with minor overlaps into spring & fall). But the problem is that it is almost year-round down there. Fall, in fact, can be the worst for the Santa Ana winds that were mentioned. And "spring" starts super-early. When it's still heavily snowing in the NE, it's heavily smogging in that basin.</p>
<p>sorry to be the wet blanket again -- or the dry blanket again -- but mathmom, there <em>can</em> be a lot of smog in April in that area. It depends, as blucroo said. It's unpredictable. Conservatively, very conservatively, a minimum of half the year is heavily smoggy. And even a little bit of smog for a mild asthmatic can be like a lot of smog for a non-asthmatic. Different threshholds.</p>
<p>"sorry to be the wet blanket again -- or the dry blanket again -- but mathmom, there <em>can</em> be a lot of smog in April in that area."</p>
<p>Okay okay! But my point stands - it may very well not be smoggy if she visits then. In any event last April the weather was gorgeous!</p>
<p>College kids don't have to worry about driving in Boston. They just need to practice their jaywalking skills.</p>
<p>Harvard prides itself on never having closed down during its entire history. The problem in the Boston area is not snow (at least for most students), it's slush. You can be knee-deep in slushy muddy, ice cold water as you try to cross a street.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>Harvard prides itself on never having closed down during its entire history.<<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>Hmmm...I didn't know this. So Harvard kept right on chugging, holding classes and everything, even when Gen. Washington garrisoned his troops there and Mass Hall was full of soldiers of the Continental Army?</p>
<p>my D wants winters...she likes the clothes, so she wants NYC< Boston etc</p>
<p>So, as I mentioned before, we watched Love Story, which is mostly "cold and gray" for much of the movie</p>
<p>My D just LOVED all the clothes- the coats, boots, scarves....</p>
<p>I grew up in upstate NY, so I know wintersl but she is determined</p>
<p>She doesn't do well in hot weather so there you go</p>